WellBad Takes Us On A Romantic Ride With “Bucket List”

There’s something undeniably magnetic about a band that doesn’t care for genre boundaries, and WellBad proves that point yet again with their latest single, “Bucket List.” Equal parts raucous barroom jam and sentimental love letter, the track is a swaggering celebration of deep partnership, reckless youth, and the kind of love that makes the rest of the world feel like a sideshow. It’s the fourth single off their album Oyster & Pearl, and if it’s any indication of the full record’s tone, fans are in for a wildly satisfying ride.

From the first raspy punch of Daniel Welbat’s vocals – “I’m gonna put you on my bucket list, right on top” – you’re dropped into a world that feels like a fever dream of roadside dives, ancient ruins, and smoky hotel rooms. The lyrics careen through historical flexes (Zeus, Artemis, Alexandria) and romantic snapshots with an irreverent grin. There’s a gleeful absurdity to lines like “I’ve been to Egypt, and I’ve been to Rhodos / I hung with Zeus, man, we had a couple of bottles” – but underneath the mythology and mischief is something sincere: the revelation that none of it means anything without that one person by your side. The song’s heart, despite all its bravado, is unshakably loyal.

Musically, “Bucket List” is just as adventurous. It’s built on a swampy foundation of bluesy guitar and funk-flecked bass, but just when you think you’ve got it figured out, in comes the horn section – the Boxhorns – giving the track a jubilant, full-throttle lift. There’s even a whiff of country-rap rhythm in the vocal phrasing, like a cowboy preacher at a roadside tent revival. Longtime producer Stephan Gade keeps everything glued together, allowing each sonic layer to breathe while amplifying the track’s joyful chaos.

What makes “Bucket List” special isn’t just its sonic ambition or lyrical wit – it’s the emotional core that holds it all together. Welbat’s real-life muse, his wife, is the quiet anchor in a storm of references and riffs. For all the wanderlust and world-building, the message is simple: love, real love, trumps it all.

With “Bucket List,” WellBad manage to be funny, touching, and exhilarating in a single breath. It’s not just a song – it’s a reminder that sometimes the wildest journey is the one you take with someone who knows all your stories and loves you anyway.